Seating article



1967 H. .1. LEPARD, JR.. ETAL 3,293,741

SEATING ARTICLE Filed Jan. 3, 1966 INVENTORS HAROLD J. LEPARD,JR. KEITH N. THOMAS %MMNE I Patented Jan. 17, 1967 i 3,298,741 i SEATING ARTICLE- r Harold J. Lepard, Jr., 2037 Norway Ave., and Keith N. Thomas, 4086 Thornoaks Drive, both of Ann Arbor-, Mich. 48104 i Filed Jan. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 518,348

6 Claims. (Cl. 297-421) This invention relates generally to articles of fai t":

ture and more particularly to a seating structure which includes a one piece body shaped to form the back, seat and arms of the structure.

The improved seating structure of this invention, while capable of other uses, is particularly useful as a lounge chair and a sofa. Such seating structures are subject to heavy use and must, therefore, be. of a sturdy and durable construction. They also require frequent cleanin'g'and repairing of the chair cover, and replacement of thefchair cushions. Accordingly, such seating, structure's.{ ar'e'jdesirably made so that they are not easily. damaged, and the covers and cushions can be readily removedforcleaning, repairing, and replacement. ,It is anobjectof this invention, therefore, to provide an improved seating article of furniture whichis capable of 'withst-anding r'ough' treatment over a prolonged service life, is comfortable, and has a cover which can readily be removed. v I

A further object of this invention is to provide a seating article of furniture which is constructed from a unitary body shaped to form a hollow back, hollow arms, and a seat so that the article can be formed by merely supporting the body on a frame and covering the body with suitable padding and a cover.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the seating article of this invention, with some parts broken away and other parts shown in section for the purposes of clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the unitary body which forms a part of the seating article of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is transverse sectional view of the seating for'strengthor'appearance purposes, in which case the material, or the like, such as polyurethane, is applied,

arms'tland "back 18 are'still considered to be hollow as this term is used herein. 6

The body 12 is also molded so that it has a continuous outwardly extending flange 28 at its lower end. The

' flange 28 is of'a predetermined width corresponding substan'tially to the desired thiokness' of the" padding which is subsequently applied to the outer surface of the body 12 and Whichis indicated generally at 30 in FIGS. land 3. "The padding 30, which can be any resilient foam preferably, over the back 18, the arms '20; and the front sideof the front section 22. A pre-sew'n cover 32 is then positioned 'over the padding 38 so that the covering ma terial from which the cover 32 is made is disposed over all Yof the padding 30 and all parts of the body 12 normally exposed toview. The cover 32 can beformed of any suitable upholstery material or cloth and is attached to the bottom side of the flange 28. A variety of attaching devices can be utilized for releasably securing the cover32 to theflangeS ZS, and a woven continuous cloarticle of this invention, as seen from substantially the line 33 in FIG. 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view of the one piece body in the article of this invention looking substantially along the line 44 in FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawing, the seating article of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, as including a one piece molded body 12 supported on a frame 14 and provided with a removable cover 16. The body 12 (FIG. 2) is shaped so that it includes a hollow back 18, hollow arms 20 which extend forwardly from the back 18, a hollow front section 22 which extends between the forward ends of the arms 20, and a flat seat section 24 formed with a centrally disposed rectangular opening 26.

The one piece body 12 can be fabricated from any material which is moldable to form a self-sustaining structure having the necessary durability characteristics, for example, thermoplastic sheet materials, mixtures of synthetic resins and cellulose or other fibers and the like. The preferred material is fiber glass, namely, a polyester resin reinforced with glass fibers. The body 12 is molded so that it is a continuous self-sustaining structure in which the back 18, arms 20-, and front section 22 are hollow and open downwardly as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and a continuous top surface is formed around the opening 26. It is to be understood that it is also within the scope of this invention to fill or partially fill the back 18 and the arms 20 with a styrofoam material if such is desirable sure, such as Vel Crow, indicated at 34, is preferred because it provides forfa secure attachment of the cover 32 to the flange 28 which can readily be released for remova'l ofthe co vei 324* One part of the closure is bonded sine flahge28and the other part is sewn to the lower edge of the cover 32.

The body 12 is molded so that it is provided with a pair of horizontally extending flanges, hereinafter referred to as a rear flange 36 and a front flange 38 (FIG. 3) disposed on opposite sides of the seat opening 26. Both the flange 36 and the flange 38 are located above the plane of the openings 26, with the flange 38 being slightly higher than the flange 36 for a purpose to appear presently. The supporting frame 14 for the body 12 is provided with a rear frame rail 40 and a front rail 42 which is supported on a spacer 45 so as to be above the rear frame rail 40. The rails 40 and 42 are disposed in a supporting relation with the rear flange 36 and the front flange 38, respectively, when the body 12 is supported on the frame 14, so that the body flange 28 is substantially horizontal. This arrangement, including the downward telescoping of the front body section 22 over the front rail 42 provides for a firm mounting of the body 12 on the supporting frame 14. Suitable attaching means, such as removable screws (not shown), are utilized to attach the flanges 36 and 38 to the frame rails 40 and 42. The supporting frame 14 is also provided with the usual legs 44.

As best appears in FIG. 3, the front side of the hollow back 18 for the body 12 slopes downwardly and forwardly and is provided at its lower end with an upwardly extending flange 46. The flange 46 is for the purpose of supporting a back cushion 48, covered with a material 50 similar to the material from which the cover 32 is formed. Suitable resilient members, illustrated as strips of rubberlike material 52, but which.

can also be suitable spring strips, are mounted on the body flanges 36 and 38 so that they span the opening 26 in a front to rear direction. A seat cushion 56, also provided with a covering 58 like the covering 50' is supported on the strips 52 and the flanges 36 and 38 so as to provide a resilient support for the cushion 56.

From the above description, it is seen that the chair 10 of this invention can be easily manufactured by virtue of the inclusion in the chair of the one piece molded body 12. This construction enables ready attachment of the chair body to the supporting frame 14, and ready removal of the cover 32 since it is only necessary to release the closures 34 in order to remove the cover 32 for repair, replacement or cleaning. Because the body 12 is of one piece construction, a very sturdy and durable chair 10 is provided which can be used for an indefinite period of time. v 1

It will be understood that the seating article which is herein disclosed and described is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and is not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1

1. An article of furniture comprising a one-piece formed body shaped to form a hollow back, hollow ar-rns extending forwardly from said back, and a seat formed with an opening, resilient means mounted on said seat so as to substantially span said opening, padding covering the portions of said body normally subjected to direct pressure by a user, a cover removably attached to'said body and disposed over said padding and the other parts of said body normally exposed to view, and cushion means mounted on said body in a position overlying said resilient means.

2. An article of furniture according to claim 1 in which said body is formed so that it has a continuous top surface extending about said seat opening and so that said hollow arms and back are open at the lower ends thereof.

3. An article of furniture according to claim 2 in which said body is provided at the lower end thereof with a flange, said flange extending outwardly from said body a distance corresponding substantially to the depth of said padding and being .releasably attached to said cover.

4. An article of furniture according to claim 3 in which a frame having legs is arranged in a supporting relation with said body.

5. An article of furniture according to claim 1 in which said body is formed with a pair of flanges disposed on opposite sides of said seat opening and spaced apart in a direction front to rear of said body, said article further including a supporting frame having legs and front and rear frame rails spaced apart in said direction a distance cor- -responding substantially to the spacing of said body flanges, said body being supported on said frame so that said body flanges are supported on said frame .rails.

6. An article of furniture according to claim 5 in which said body is formed with a hollow front section which extends between the forward ends of said arms and is open at the lower end thereof, one of said body flanges forming the upper end of said front section so that when said flange is supported on said front frame rail said front section telescopes downwardly over said front frame rail.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

3d CASMIR'A, NUNBERG, Ext l miner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE FORMED BODY SHAPED TO FORM A HOLLOW BACK, HOLLOW ARMS EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID BACK, AND A SEAT FORMED WITH AN OPENING, RESILIENT MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SEAT SO AS TO SUBSTANTIALLY SPAN SAID OPENING, PADDING COVERING THE PORTIONS OF SAID BODY NORMALLY SUBJECTED TO DIRECT PRESSURE BY A USER, A COVER REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID BODY AND DISPOSED OVER SAID PADDING AND THE OTHER PARTS OF SAID 